Ravens’ Billy Cundiff just the latest to wilt under bright lights

Ravens' Billy Cundiff just the latest athlete to wilt under bright lights

By Billy Courtice

It did not take long for their names to get dragged in the mud.

A year ago, Baltimore Ravens kicker Billy Cundiff was looking forward to his first Pro Bowl. He made 26 of 29 field goals that season. Sunday, he only had to miss one to get international recognition.

Just seconds after Cundiff pulled a 32-yard field goal wide left that would have forced overtime in the AFC championship game, social media was swamped with messages calling for his death, among other things.

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Last week, San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Kyle Williams was praised for making a critical block on an Alex Smith rushing touchdown in an epic 36-32 victory over the New Orleans Saints. Sunday, the 23-year-old was prearing to play in the grandest game of his short career: the NFC championship game against the New York Giants.

After he misplayed two punt returns, including a fumble in overtime that led to the Giants’ game-winning field goal, he got the same uncivil treatment as Cundiff.

“I’m used to the years of criticism and threats on my life from time to time, but I have to hear about threats on your son’s life while you’re watching TV and it certainly makes you question our culture of sports as it stands,” Kenny Williams, Kyle’s father and the general manager of the Chicago White Sox, told ESPN Chicago.

In the wake of these blunders that may have cost championships, we attempt to take a tiny little bit of the weight off their shoulders by looking at five others whose greatest failure happened under the brightest lights.

Jean Van de Velde

“He had time to think. You haven’t missed a jumper or a field goal. Those are reactionary things. In his case, I can’t think of anything that comes close.” — Curtis Strange

Standing on the 18th tee with a three-shot lead in the 1999 Open Championship, Van de Velde could probably see a shimmering Claret Jug about 450 yards away, poised somewhere beyond the Barry Burn. Little did he know it was the longest half-kilometre he would ever walk. His misadventure: driver off the tee flared well right by safe from the creek; two-iron that ricocheted off a grandstand; a third try that finally went in the water. Van de Velde removed his shoes and socks, rolled up his slacks, and etched a picture of one of the most sad-sack moment in sports history. His triple-bogey seven landed him in a playoff, which was won by Paul Lawrie. Graciously, Van de Velde returned a year later to give the 18th another go for a commercial, using only a putter. He did one better, carding a six.

Bill Buckner

“It’s like I did nothing in my career but commit that error.” — Buckner

No, Buckner is not the only one to blame for the Boston Red Sox’ letdown in the sixth game of the 1986 World Series. There was the wild pitch by reliever Bob Stanley that got by catcher Rich Gedman and scored the tying run. There was Red Sox manager John McNamara’s fatal decision not to replace Buckner and his injured ankle for defensive purposes. But there he was when the Mets’ Mookie Wilson chopped a slow-roller down the first-base line, that eluded Buckner’s glove and allowed Ray Knight to score the winning run. New York turned that 7-6 victory into a surge of momentum in Game 7, which they would win 8-5, cementing The Bambino’s curse in the minds of Red Sox fans for another 18 years.

Alou said that five years after the Chicago Cubs’ 2003 NLCS loss to the Florida Marlins. When eager spectator Steve Bartman reached out to catch a foul ball, deflecting it from Alou’s open glove, he did not just cost them a game. In the minds of fans that would go on to threaten Bartman and his family, he put the nail in the coffin that kept a Cubs franchise from breaking what is now a 103-year span of championship-less baseball. But the Cubs were not one catch away from winning the National League. Even if Alou had caught it, Chicago would have needed four more outs to down the Marlins. A lot can happen, and has happened, in crucial games with four outs remaining. As it stands, many Cubs fans would disagree.

Scott Norwood

“I had prepared as well as I could. I had done the best I could. I could look at myself in the mirror.” — Scott Norwood

If there is one telephone number Billy Cundiff should be looking for, it is Norwood’s. The Buffalo Bills kicker’s task was slightly more daunting than Cundiff’s. It was a 47-yard kick to win a Super Bowl. But the two kickers reactions after missing were eerily similar — just a lowered head, and a slow, sombre walk to the sidelines. With eight seconds left in Super Bowl XXV, the Bills trailed the New York Giants 20-19. The Bills elected to stretch Norwood’s range, having him attempt the long field goal on natural grass, even though Norwood had only made six out of 10 of his tries from more than 40 yards that season. Norwood would miss the kick, dubbed “wide right” thanks to a lively call from Al Michaels. It was the first of four straight Super Bowl losses for the Bills, but the closest the franchise came to winning it all.

Nate Kaeding

“I’m not gonna feel sorry for myself. I feel sorry for my teammates, coaches and support staff here. I feel like I let everybody down.” — Nate Kaeding

Gary Anderson and Mike Vanderjagt could have easily made the list for their crucial missed kicks. But Kaeding earns his spot through quantity, not quality. In the 2009 NFL season Kaeding missed only three field goals. But the all-pro kicker would match that number in an AFC division-round game against the New York Jets. His San Diego Chargers would have needed just one of them to manage a tie, losing to the Jets 17-14.